Battle Abbey site of the Battle of Hastings

Harold and William the Conqueror

The town of Battle was built up around the Abbey which was constructed between
1070-1094 by William the Conqueror, as a penance ordered by the pope for the loss of life
occurring in the battle, and in earlier raids in the surrounding area designed to draw Harold into
conflict. See Whatlington , Salehurst and Mountfield

As the town grew, the Abbot in 1115 built the church, for the people of "Battel" a
village which had grown up around the Abbey.

The abbey gatehouse was built in 1338 as a protection from a possible French Invasion. To
the side of these gates stands the Pilgrims Rest, now a tea room/restaurant, the current building
was erected in 1420, on the site of a 12th century building.

The Benedictine Abbey became famous, and until the dissolution by Henry VIII in 1538, the hub of
a wide sphere of influence.

The Abbey was given to Sir Anthony Browne who was Henry's Master of the Horses, and was lived in
and used as a private estate until 1976 when it was purchased for the nation by the government.
It is now in the care of English Heritage , and is a major tourist attraction, as the battlefield
and abbey can be visited. The main building is a private school, but can be visited during school
holidays.